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Show 1874.] LETTER FROM REV. S. J. WHITMEE. 185 about four years ago he was one of a large party hunting feral pigs in the mountains of Upolu, when they came upon a burrow which one of the party pronounced to be the hole of a Puna!e. My informant says that he put his arm into the hole, and at its extremity (which he could barely reach) he found the bird. He drew it out, and, taking it home, tried to tame and feed it; but it would not eat, and soon died. The other man lives on Savaii. He is the son of a noted old bird-catcher long since dead, one who, before fire-arms were known in these islands, made bird-catching his profession. He tells me that his father taught him when he was a youth where to find the Puna'e, and he has frequently taken it out of its burrow. He describes the burrow as being about 3 or 4 feet in length, curving downwards and then rising to near the surface, where the nest is placed. It is only a few days since I first met with this man. I have commissioned him to try and find out the haunts of the bird ; and if possible I will try and examine its burrow for myself. " The testimony of the Samoans has been so general in favour of the burrowing of the Pareudiastes that I have long felt convinced of the correctness of this view, which the observation of Drs. Hartlaub and Finsch tends to confirm ; but within the past month I have received some contrary evidence, which, if correct, shows that at least some individuals of the species build upon the surface and not in a burrow. " A few months ago I showed the plate of the Pareudiastes in P. Z. S. for 1871 to the Rev. George Brown, a missionary of the Wesleyan Society, residing on Savaii, where I believe the bird is more plentiful than on Upolu. Mr. Brown intimated to the natives his wish to procure specimens of the bird and of its eggs ; and a few weeks ago a living bird and two eggs were taken to him. The man who took them to him declares that he caught the bird on the nest with the two eggs in question under it. This nest, he says, was on the ground, and composed of a few twigs and a little grass. Mr. Brown has kindly given one of the eggs to me, and I forward it to you for your inspection. " I confess that when I first examined the egg I concluded it to be one of our Porphyrio which the man had represented to be that of the Pareudiastes in order to get a higher price for it. A closer inspection, however, and comparison with the only egg of the Porphyrio which I now have by me, leads me almost to believe that this is the egg of the Pareudiastes. The eggs of the Porphyrio vary in shape and colour; but the egg in question is of much less breadth, longer, and lighter in colour than any Porphyrio eggs I have seen here, if I mistake not. Should I be able shortly to procure some eggs of the latter bird I will send them to you for comparison. "The Pareudiastes evidently feeds upon insects. The Samoans are very clever at taming and feeding birds; but I believe they have never yet succeeded in keeping this bird alive more than a few days. The man who caught the one I sent to Canon Tristram last year tried to feed it on vegetable food ; but it died in a few days. Another lately procured on Savaii died in the same way on a vegetable diet. But one caught two months ago, after being fed by cramming with P R O C . Z O O L . Soc -1874, No. XIII. 13 |
